The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-14
ENCHANTING ANCIENT ROME.
Professor Lanciani Tells in a Lecture of the
Progress of the Work.

Professor Lanciani Tells in a Lecture of the
Progress of the Work.
The whole of ancient Rome has been buried
by the attririon of ages. In some places the
of the modern city. differs much as sixty feet.
But throughout the city the rise of the modern
level varies from ten to sixty feet.
''In turning up handful Of earth in Rome
people may have idea of what an amount of
discoveries must have been made when they
turned up the amount of earth stated. Whatever
is found in these excavations belongs to the
owner of the grounds, and consequently the
municipality does not get all the treasures
earthed. The municipality owns about one-third
of the ground within the walls, however.
1.-The first forum Of Rome was the called
the Forum of Antonomasa. and was established
on ground reclaimed from the marshes of the
Velabrum This forum, at the end of the repub-
lie. became ridiculousy small in appearance in
sufficient TO accommodate the people, and lost
its individuality by the addition of other fora.
At that time beginning from the porth side of
the Tarpean rock and of the Capitoline hill, the
most conspicuous building was the Temple of
Saturn, used as place of worship AID public
treasury. 1t was the first place in which the
practice of bringing wax tapers in a sacred edi-
fee was begun, and it was the only temple in
Rome in which the devout could enter with
heads uncovered. The feast of this temple was
the anniversary of the Saturnalia, and this feast
has lived in the famous carnival now fast dying
north side were the Temple OF Concord, used as
military treasury, and the Graciostasis. a
place set apart for ambassadors from foreign
lands, where they waited before being admitted
to the Curia, or Senate-house
'The Senate-house stood the east side of
the square, and it was the most important build
| ing in Rome, in spite of the simplicity of its
| architecture. 1t was eighty-fve feet long by
| seveuty-five feet wide. 1t contained inside sew
| eral rows Of plain wooden benches, the presi
| den ia chair and wooden tribune and behind the
| speakers chair a small apartment containing
| the archives of the house. But the stoicism and
| frugality OF the early Romans was such tina,
| they would never allow the building to be heated.
1 summoned the Senators to an important meet
| ing, it grew SO intensely cold that he was
obliged to dismiss the assembly and expose the
Senators to the railery and derision of the popu
lace. This building was destroyed in the yeal
| 700 by the partsans of the Tribune Ciardius
They bore his murdered body into tn,
| ante-room of the Senate chamber, and ther
erected pyre of the benches, books ani
manuscripts, setting the whole on Are and burn
4 ing with it the corpse Of Claudius. the curia it
| self. The forum latterly became crowded will
all classes Of loungers and habitues who gained
for themselves the title of subrostrani. Besides
| these persons .tatues of bronze and stone wer,
put in the place. SO that they became numer
Gus in the year 156 b. c., they had to be cleared
| away. There we're numerous trees near by
and one Of them was said to be the orieina
tree under which Romulus and Remus were dis
| covered lying on the ground
| Altogether six forums were built by the diff
ferent rulers through the successive ages blu,
| the sixth. that of Trajan. was the richest ant
| grandest work in Rome. To make room for hi
forum it was necessary to remove a ridge of Ia
feet IN height, which Joined the Capitolne an
| Quirinal hills. ridge which had previously
hill pa 900 900 cubic feet of earth had be take
away